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Released March 01, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Late last month, U.S. federal judge Miranda Du denied the request for an emergency injunction to block construction of Lithium Americas' (NYSE:LAC) (Vancouver, British Columbia) Thacker Pass lithium mine in northern Nevada near the Oregon border. The facility will be the largest lithium mine in the U.S., according to trade journal Stockhead.
Lithium Americas' project received attention in late January when General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) (Detroit, Michigan) agreed to purchase $650 million worth of Lithium Americas' shares and all of the mine's 40,000 tonnes per year of lithium after Phase I construction is completed.
The move would make GM Lithium Americas' largest shareholder, and according to news media, the deal marks the largest investment by an automaker into battery raw materials production.
However, GM's funding came with some strings attached. The $650 million in share purchases are to come in two equal parts. The first tranche was contingent on Lithium Americas' prevailing in Judge Du's courtroom in a legal suit filed by environmental groups, Native American groups and other landowners regarding the mine's effect on air, groundwater and sacred tribal sites. Du's decision in favor of Lithium Americas going ahead with the mine should pave the way for the first round of GM'S funding. The second tranche is to come after a long-planned split of Lithium Americas' North American and South American operations, which is expected later this year.
Lithium Americas has received all necessary permits to begin construction at the mine and was awaiting the court's decision before proceeding.
Construction of the Thacker Pass mine is planned in two phases. Construction on Phase I is now expected to begin soon. Phase I involves developing a 9,000-ton-per-day open pit mining operation that will produce 40,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate from 3.3 million tons of mined ore for the first three years of the mine's life. After three years, Phase II construction would begin, aimed at doubling production capacity for the estimated 36 years of remaining mine life. In addition to the mine, the project includes construction of sulfuric acid plants, processing plants and cogeneration plants. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for related reports.
The Thacker Pass mine aims to extract lithium from a large clay deposit, something that has never been done at a commercial scale, according to news media. This is the second type of lithium-mining process in which GM has invested. In 2021, the company signed a supply deal with Controlled Thermal Resources Limited (Imperial, California), which is attempting to filter lithium from geothermal brines in California. The facility will extract lithium from the thermal brine of a nearby 50-megawatt geothermal power plant. Phase I construction of Controlled Thermal Resources' project would allow the company to produce 25,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate.
Construction on both the power plant and lithium extraction facility could begin in the coming months, putting the projects on track for completion in 2024. Subscribers to IIR's Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the lithium extraction project, and subscribers to the Power Project Database can click here for the report on the geothermal plant.
Companies attempting similar brine-extraction projects in the U.S. include Pure Energy Minerals Limited (Vancouver), which is underway with construction of a pilot-scale brine extraction plant near Silver Peak, Nevada, to demonstrate the feasibility of a commercial-scale facility. Construction on the pilot plant kicked off last year. Upon completion, which is expected soon, the facility will be able to extract 65.3 tons per year of lithium. The commercial-scale plant, construction of which could begin in 2025, would extract 10,300 tons per year of lithium hydroxide over a 20-year mine life. Subscribers can click here for the report on the pilot plant and click here for more details on the commercial-scale plant.
Lithium Americas is wrapping up its own brine-extraction project in Argentina. Construction on the Cauchari-Olaroz brine extraction and lithium processing plant kicked off in 2018 and is expected to be completed in the coming months. The facility is expected to produce 40,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate over a projected 40-year mine life. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Subscribers can click here to view all of the reports for projects discussed in this article, and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Lithium Americas' project received attention in late January when General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) (Detroit, Michigan) agreed to purchase $650 million worth of Lithium Americas' shares and all of the mine's 40,000 tonnes per year of lithium after Phase I construction is completed.
The move would make GM Lithium Americas' largest shareholder, and according to news media, the deal marks the largest investment by an automaker into battery raw materials production.
However, GM's funding came with some strings attached. The $650 million in share purchases are to come in two equal parts. The first tranche was contingent on Lithium Americas' prevailing in Judge Du's courtroom in a legal suit filed by environmental groups, Native American groups and other landowners regarding the mine's effect on air, groundwater and sacred tribal sites. Du's decision in favor of Lithium Americas going ahead with the mine should pave the way for the first round of GM'S funding. The second tranche is to come after a long-planned split of Lithium Americas' North American and South American operations, which is expected later this year.
Lithium Americas has received all necessary permits to begin construction at the mine and was awaiting the court's decision before proceeding.
Construction of the Thacker Pass mine is planned in two phases. Construction on Phase I is now expected to begin soon. Phase I involves developing a 9,000-ton-per-day open pit mining operation that will produce 40,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate from 3.3 million tons of mined ore for the first three years of the mine's life. After three years, Phase II construction would begin, aimed at doubling production capacity for the estimated 36 years of remaining mine life. In addition to the mine, the project includes construction of sulfuric acid plants, processing plants and cogeneration plants. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for related reports.
The Thacker Pass mine aims to extract lithium from a large clay deposit, something that has never been done at a commercial scale, according to news media. This is the second type of lithium-mining process in which GM has invested. In 2021, the company signed a supply deal with Controlled Thermal Resources Limited (Imperial, California), which is attempting to filter lithium from geothermal brines in California. The facility will extract lithium from the thermal brine of a nearby 50-megawatt geothermal power plant. Phase I construction of Controlled Thermal Resources' project would allow the company to produce 25,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate.
Construction on both the power plant and lithium extraction facility could begin in the coming months, putting the projects on track for completion in 2024. Subscribers to IIR's Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the lithium extraction project, and subscribers to the Power Project Database can click here for the report on the geothermal plant.
Companies attempting similar brine-extraction projects in the U.S. include Pure Energy Minerals Limited (Vancouver), which is underway with construction of a pilot-scale brine extraction plant near Silver Peak, Nevada, to demonstrate the feasibility of a commercial-scale facility. Construction on the pilot plant kicked off last year. Upon completion, which is expected soon, the facility will be able to extract 65.3 tons per year of lithium. The commercial-scale plant, construction of which could begin in 2025, would extract 10,300 tons per year of lithium hydroxide over a 20-year mine life. Subscribers can click here for the report on the pilot plant and click here for more details on the commercial-scale plant.
Lithium Americas is wrapping up its own brine-extraction project in Argentina. Construction on the Cauchari-Olaroz brine extraction and lithium processing plant kicked off in 2018 and is expected to be completed in the coming months. The facility is expected to produce 40,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate over a projected 40-year mine life. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Subscribers can click here to view all of the reports for projects discussed in this article, and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
